The Almost Perfect Solangelo Wedding
by BornInTartarus
Summary: sequel to The Almost Perfect Solangelo Proposal. leave reviews!
1. Chapter 1

Will's POV

The night was peaceful. It was warm, and a few stray leaves were falling in the light wind. Will and Nico were huddled together on top of the Hades cabin. Nico was beautiful, Will thought, with the moon's rays illuminating up his pale face.

"Hey," he whispered, turning Nico's chin, so they were looking at each other. " I wanted to do this properly after what happened at the reunion."

He got down on one knee, and produced a black velvet box from his pocket.

"Nico di Angelo, will you marry me?"

Nico watched in silence. He snorted.

"Get down before you fall off the roof," he replied.

Will sat down again. "Hmmm… I was kinda expecting something more romantic…. But okay…"

Nico suddenly grabbed Will and kissed him.

It was long and passionate.

When they released, Nico smiled at him fondly.

"Of course I'll marry you." He took a glance at the ring.

It was a silver skull. Nico looked at his own hand.

" _Hey!"_

Will grinned.

Nico slipped it on. He glared at Will. "When did you steal it?"

Will sighed contentedly. " Oh, when you were sleeping," he replied with another smile.

Nico grumbled.

"We're going to have to buy actual rings for the wedding you know.", Will continued.

Nico groaned. "Right. The wedding."

Will shoved him lightly. " Lighten up, it'll be fun!"

"Fun," Nico echoed, his voice full of disbelief.

"Come on" Will protested. "Weddings aren't that bad."

Nico stared at him.

" Um.. have you _seen_ the Aphrodite cabin?"

Piper`s POV

Piper called an emergency meeting in the Aphrodite cabin. Her goal was simple. Get the Solangelo couple to let the Aphrodite cabin take charge of the wedding. The clothes, people, positions, music, place, and food, all taken care of.

This was going to be _soooo_ much fun!

At exactly 3:00, the Aphrodite girls were assembled on the bright pink carpet of their cabin planning ideas. Annabeth, Katie, Juniper, Thalia, Lou Ellen, Reyna, Hazel, Kayla, Calypso, and Rachel were also present.

"Alright, everyone", Piper said, taking charge. "We called you all here to make plans on how to make this the most romantic wedding this camp, and Camp Jupiter," Piper said, glancing at Reyna and Hazel, "has ever seen!"

"I think we should split up and take charge of different parts of the wedding," Piper continued. "That way, everything will be taken care of in no time."

She passed around a piece of paper to each girl. "Here's the list of all the stuff that needs to get done. Choose what you want to be in charge of."

Kayla looked at the list. "The Apollo cabin can take care of the music," she said.

Rachel smiled. "Lou Ellen and I can take charge of the decorating."

"Oh my god, _yes_ ," Lou Ellen squealed.

Calypso nodded. "Hmmm, I can whip up the food," she clapped her hands. "Especially the cake!"

Annabeth grinned. "And I can get the positions sorted. Piper, I think I know where the Aphrodite girls come in!"

Piper grinned back. "Clothes!", she yelled.

Reyna laughed at their enthusiasm. She too, was looking forward to this wedding. "I can see if I can get some speeches written out for the wedding. Hazel, we need a place to have the wedding".

Hazel nodded. Juniper's face lit up. "I think I can help with that," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"Alright girls!", Piper screamed. She looked like she was having the time of her life. "We can do this!"

They put their hands in, and with a lot of smiles and laughter, the meeting was adjourned.

Hazel's smile vanished suddenly. "Um.. guys?" The girls looked up at her, noticing her resigned face. "You've met my brother right?

The girls were confused. Then Piper got it.

Nico was _never_ going to agree to this.


	2. Chapter 2

_Nico's POV_

Will Solace was the most supportive boyfriend that ever existed. He was patient. He never rushed into things. Nico knew this, but it came up especially in his mind when they were walking to the arena to spar each other. They had been bantering again, and Nico enjoyed every bit of it. Mostly because by the end of it, he usually got a kiss. But their conversation ended something like this.

"Nico, you know I love you right?"

Nico whipped his head back in surprise. Will usually said that to him, but it was usually after he was in one of his "sour moods".

I know", he said finally and with affection.

Will bit his lip. "Look, I know that things are going faster than we planned, and I want you to know that you can have all the time you need to adjust. We can stay engaged until you really want to get married. It could be a year or more before we have the wedding. We could even break off the engagement until you-"

The son of Apollo was sweating now, and Nico could tell that he was about to start rambling.

So he cut him off.

" _Will!"_

Will broke off of his mantra and looked at his boyfriend in confusion.

"Do _you_ want to get married now?"

He asked this question with his head down. Will hardly heard him.

"I only want what's best for-". Nico cut him off again with a hard look.

Will sighed. "Fine, the truth is, I do want to get married soon. I never did think of proposing to you at all, but as soon as it happened, I can't stop thinking of any other way that I could spend my life."

Nico smiled and linked hands with his lover. "Then we _will_ get married. It will take some planning, but we might even be married by the end of six months."

The look on Will's face was beyond surprise. He had never known his boyfriend to be so compassionate. The worry disappeared from his face.

Only to return a moment later when he realized that Nico was out for blood in their sparring match.

 _Piper's POV_

Piper`s plan was simple. Get the boys to look the complete idiot's while trying to prepare for their wedding, and then convince them that letting the girls take care of it would be the best decisions of their lives.

This was going to be _so_ easy.

She spotted them walking hand in hand, laughing, and more importantly,

 _Blushing._

She marched up to them. "Hey guys, how are you", she greeted them warmly. She looked at them expectantly. "Have you decided how long you want to be engaged? I bet you want to put the wedding off for a couple years, huh?".

The happy couple looked at each other. " _Actually_ , we decided to start right away. We wanted to get married as soon as possible", Will said carefully.

Piper's heart started doing cartwheels. The boys had surprised her. She figured that they would want to stay engaged for a couple years at least.

"Well, have you got an idea of where you want to start?"

They shared uncomfortable looks. This was exactly what Piper was going for. She had to make sure she worded what she was going to say carefully, though.

"Guys, if you're having any trouble at all with the wedding, we would love to help." by "we", Piper ment the entire female population at camp Half-Blood and camp Jupiter.

Nico sent Will a very dark look that Will tried to ignore.

Piper had a feeling that he knew this was coming.

Will turned his attention to her instead. "Um…. sure Piper, we'll tell you if we need anything."

Piper clapped her hands. "You won't regret this, guys!"

She pretended not to hear what Nico said when she turned around and made her way back to the Aphrodite cabin.

"I'm sure we _will_ regret this."


	3. Chapter 3

_Will's POV_

He knew exactly what Piper had been hinting. He made a decision not to ask them for help unless they _absolutely_ needed it.

After the camp sing a long, Nico had grabbed his hand and led him to the Hades cabin roof top to watch the stars. Within the next five minutes, they were both resting comfortably on the roof, snuggled next to each other, enjoying the quiet and each other's company.

Will ran his fingers through Nico's messy curls, and he felt the other boy move closer to him. He sighed happily. Next week, all the campers would go back to their own houses. Some of them had already left after the reunion.

"You know, about the wedding-"

He was interrupted by Nico's groan. He laughed.

"Oh relax, how many times do I have to tell you, i'll' be _fine_." Nico glared at him.

"Well anyway, you know we have to tell our parents, right?"

"That'll be easy, you know Naomi will be delighted-"

"Nico, I mean our _godly_ parents."

Nico went slack - jawed, and turned white. The idea had obviously never occurred to him before. "Oh gods, are you sure, my father won't care less-"

"Nico, you know that's not true!", Will protested. "Well, I bet Apollo will know already, his is the prophecy god."

"Speak of said prophecy god", Nico muttered.

Apollo stood on the roof with them in a flash a brilliant light. Immediately, he grinned ear to ear and vigorously started shaking hands with the boys.

"Congrats! You made quite a drama when you proposed, Will!" He beamed. "Aphrodite was all over it, filming! Let's see," he paused to check a glowing smartphone from his pocket. " hmmm, 10274 hits now!" he laughed like this was the best thing in the world.

For Will and Nico, not so much.

Nico looked liked he wanted to strangle the god. He clenched his fists instead.

"So, you put the entire episode on _youtube_ ".

Apollo looked offended. "Of course not!" he went back to being cheery.

"We put it on the godly network, snapchat, twitter, instagram, _and_ youtube!"

Nico groaned and put his head in his hand. "Great! _What_ an honour!"

Apollo, not seeing nor processing his surly attitude, replied, " _I know_!"

Will glared at his dad.

"So, when's the wedding?", he said cheerfully.

Will whipped his head back in surprise. "Why would you care? You're not coming, right?"

Apollo went back to being miffed. "What do you mean i'm not coming? Are you not inviting your own father to the most important day of your life?"

Will was even more surprised. He frowned. "No, I just thought you would have other places to be". He shrugged.

Apollo almost looked sad. And even a little….

 _Sorry_

He grasped his son's hands. "Will, I wouldn't miss your special day for the world." he looked so sincere, even Nico was surprised. He took a glance at his boyfriend.

Will was beyond _shocked_.

Seeing that he was beyond words, Nico went ahead and ended _that_ conversation.

Apollo turned to him. "You're going to tell Hades in person, right? That's the right way to do it!"

Now it was Nico's turn to be surprised. "He doesn't know?", he asked in disbelief. Apollo shrugged. "As far as I know, uncle never _did_ use the godly network."

" _So I have to tell him?!_ "

Apollo was confused. "So you _don't_ want to tell him?"

Nico stared at him like he grew eight heads. "Of course I don't want to tell him! I don't even want him to _be_ there!"

Apollo looked at him worriedly. "Nico, if you don't tell your father now, he'll find out afterwards, possibly _at_ the wedding."

Nico paled.

He stood up. "Fine".

Will stared at him. "You're going now?"

"Hades is always awake at this time. Besides, persephone will be in her room by now.", he replied.

Will nodded. "Ummm, good luck?", he cringed, but Nico laughed and pecked him on the lips.

"I might stay there tonight, okay?" will nodded again, and Nico disappeared in his shadow.

At Hades palace, Nico stood by the entrance, wondering how he was going to break the news to his father. Suddenly the door swung open.

"Nico, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here so late?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Hades POV:_

He was surprised that his son had come to see him so late. This was not unusual, he knew Nico preferred to talk to him when Persephone was out of the room. But as soon as he met the Solace boy, Nico hardly visited.

He surveyed his son. Nico's face was flushed, and he was wringing his hands.

Nico was _nervous_.

He wondered what could be so important to get his son in such a state. Nico bowed respectively, and then straightened.

"So, uh, father…"

It was clear enough to Hades that his son had absolutely no idea how to start. He began to really worry. The only time his son had ever hesitate while speaking to him was when he was going to imprison that Jackson boy for a couple centuries.

" Will and I, well, we decided to, errr…."

And that, was the _last_ straw.

He got off his throne, turned into normal size, and grabbed Nico's face in his hands. He looked over as if expecting scars or marks, that held the answer to his son's discomfort.

Nico looked bewildered at the sudden contact. He stepped backwards. "Uh, dad?"

Hades let go of his son's face. He went over what Nico had been stuttering about, and tried to piece together what was going on. He had mentioned Will.

 _The Solace boy._

Hades felt all of his golden blood rush to his head, and a sick feeling emerged. He gave Nico a demanding look.

"Did he break up with you?" his tone was firm, but his teeth were grinding together in fury.

Nico looked shocked. "Of course not! He just, um, well him and I-"

"Did he say he wanted to spend some time separated or something!"

"Oh Gods, dad, no! He _proposed_!"

Hades was stunned. He couldn't tell what he did next, frankly, he didn't remember.

When he was brought back to the present, Nico was staring at him uncertainly and shifting his footing awkwardly.

"Pro-proposed, you say", Hades stuttered like he was going to be sick.

"Dad, are you okay?", Nico was looking at him worriedly. This was not a reaction he had planned on seeing from the lord of the dead.

"I- i just", Hades shook his head and cleared his throat.

"I've never had a mortal son that got married before. Most of them….. Died before they found the right one."

Nico started at his father. Hades looked down shamefully, he was never fond of being seen when he thought about his children. Suddenly, he felt a comforting weight around his chest.

Nico was _hugging_ him.

Hades relaxed into the hug. When they pulled away, both had tears at the corners of their eyes. Hades attempted to start conversation again.

"So, do I get an invitation?"

"What do you mean?" Nico asked wide eyed.

Hades looked at him fondly. "Oh Nico, I would never miss your special day."

The lord of the dead then disappeared into a whoosh of shadows.

 _Will's POV_

He was still waiting on the roof when Nico appeared.

"I told you not to wait for me", Nico pouted.

Will pecked him on the lips. "Oh, I think I could wait forever for _you_."

Nico blushed and shoved him lightly.

Will looked at him.

Had Nico been crying?

"So, did it go well?", he asked tentatively.

Nico smiled at him. "It went great."


	5. Chapter 5

_Annabeth's POV_

Annabeth really was looking forward to this wedding. It was fun, to plan the positions. She had to admit, it was nothing like arranging war strategies and battle positions, but it was just as stressing.

She blamed that on Piper.

She needed to talk to Nico and Will. it was their choice of who they wanted for best man and man of honour. She had an idea of who Nico was going to pick for best man, and she was pretty sure Percy would _**not**_ like his decision.

Piper had assured her that as soon they had sorted out the positions, the dress fittings would come next, and Annabeth could move onto something else.

She dialed Nico's number after Percy left for work. She had off that day, and wanted to make most of her time.

"Hi Nico, can I come over? I want to talk about the positions for the wedding." she heard an audible groan. Apparently, Will heard it too, because she heard his muffled voice next.

"Sure Annabeth. See you at 3?" she smiled through the phone. "Of course."

Arriving at their apartment, she rapped on the door. Will swung the door and beamed at her. The ever perfect host, he led her to the couch and proceeded to offer her cookies, fresh baked.

She thanked him, and took one. Nico on the other hand was slouched over a cup of coffee, and Annabeth smiled as she remembered how he looked every morning at camp all those years ago. It took Will Solace to make him get up everyday.

Will came back to the table and sat down across from her. "So Annabeth, what's up?"

"I came to ask about who you want to pick for your wedding. You know, best man and so on." she studied Nico, who she now realised had been asleep this entire time.

Will followed her gaze, and groaned. He marched up to his boyfriend's unconscious form. He nudged him till he woke up. Nico glared at him. "What did you do that for", he mumbled.

Will sighed. "Annabeth's here to talk about the wedding." Annabeth smiled at him.

He groaned again and sat up. Will pushed the cup of coffee backed into his hands. Nico took a long gulp. He stared at Annabeth. She took her chance to speak.

"So Nico, you have any idea who you want for best man?"

Nico suddenly looked guilty. And Annabeth knew why.

"You're not picking Percy for best man, are you?" slowly, Nico nodded. She sighed.

Will understood. Percy was a pretty easy-going guy, but he knew he would definitely be disappointed if he wasn't picked. Will already had an idea on who he wanted for best man.

Annabeth didn't seem surprised at all. Will didn't think anything could faze this daughter of Athena.

She could see that both boys were still embracing the idea of getting married. When Percy proposed to her, she literally had a meltdown before Piper came to her rescue.

"Look, you don't have to tell me who you want right now. Take your time, and tell them first."

Will smiled at her. "Thanks Annabeth." she grinned back. "No problem. See you later."

 _Will's POV:_

Will wanted to pick someone who had been there for him.

Someone special.

He knew who he wanted. That particular friend had never pressed him, rushed him, made him.

He just…

Had no idea how to ask.

He knew this wouldn't be difficult. When he looked back, it would probably be the easiest decision in the wedding. But right now….

Nico looked at him and swiftly grabbed his hand. He gave it a light squeeze. "Everything okay?"

Will smiled distractedly. "Yeah, I just…"

Nico seemed to understand. "I know. I'm not looking forward to this either."

Will stared past him, deep in thought. He startled.

"You know, how about we go and ask them, and and then we'll meet back here at lunch and talk about it?"

Nico looked at him with determination. "Okay. see you later". He shadow traveled out of there.

Will grumbled. Easy for him to say. All he had to do was shadow travel there. If things got awkward, he could leave with no problem.

Regardless, he finished his coffee, and grabbed his coat.

 _Cecil's POV:_

After the campers had settled down after the war, Cecil got himself a cheap apartment to live in. At the end of the month, it was clear that the small computer job he was doing wasn't going to pay the rent by itself. So he called Lou Ellen. She was staying with her older mortal sister not far from here. She and Cecil had stayed close, with regular phone calls and text messages. Cecil remembered the phone call they had just last week.

"You wouldn't believe how crowded it gets here with my sister!" she complained. "She brings all her friends and they party all through the night!" cecil had brushed it off with some sympathy and left the topic there.

That was until he figured out a solution that would help both of them.

He wiped his sweaty hands on his brow. "Is that all? Lou Ellen nodded. "Thanks for letting me move in", she said, smiling. " I really appreciate it."

Cecil grinned back. "Hey, no problem. This works out for both of us, remember. My paycheck plus yours will be more than enough to pay the rent."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Lou Ellen raised her eyebrows at Cecil. He shrugged. The knocking came again.

He made his way to the door and opened. A surprised son of Apollo stepped back in shock. Cecil decided he must look like crap, he _**had**_ been moving luggage from one house to another for a day.

"um….. Bad time?" cecil smiled at his friend and shook his head. " no, no, come in!"

Will cautiously stepped inside the apartment. Lou Ellen, sensing their discomfort, smiled brightly and announced that she was going to make a snack. She grinned at Will, as if she knew exactly why he had come. She winked at him, and left the room.

Cecil stared after her. Then he turned to Will. " does it seem like she knows us more than we know ourselves?"

Will shrugged. Then he looked Cecil straight in the eye. Cecil had never seen his friend so serious before - well except that one time when Nico refused to come to the infirmary after the war.

"Um…. okay. What?"

Will steeled his nerves. " would, er, you want to, um…..."

Cecil tried to calm himself. He tried for a smile. " seriously Will, spit it out! You're freaking me out!"

Will looked like he was desperately trying to get something done.

Something he wanted to get done… but something he was obviously struggling with.

" wouldyoubemybestman" , he said, out of breath and shaken.

Cecil cocked his head. " um, sorry.. Repeat what you just said, please."

Will sighed. He straitened. " Cecil, would you please be my best man."

Cecil was stuttering. Will sighed again, and reached over close his gaping mouth. Cecil snapped back, as if just realising his reaction.

" look, Will,...

 _I would be honored."_

Will grinned, ear to ear, and rushed to hug his best friend. As they gripped each other tightly, Cecil heard an audible click. As he turned around, he saw Lou Ellen cackle as she held her phone in front of her. She wiped a fake tear off her face.

"Now _that_ , was adorable." she said laughing, and it wasn't long before the boys cracked up too.


	6. Chapter 6

_Jason's POV:_

Jason was enjoying his coffee when disaster struck. Piper had left half an hour ago with a peck on the cheek and a warning not to let in any monsters while she was gone. He sipped his coffee.

"Will says that coffee is like a drug." Jason choked. Nico di Angelo was standing right behind him. He did a poor imitation of his boyfriend. "Really Nico, that stuff will kill you….."

Jason spit out the remaining coffee that was in his mouth onto the floor. Nico stared at it distastefully. "Gross, jason. And what a waste of coffee."

It was then that Jason realised the slowly moving brown stain reaching through the carpet.

 _The new fur carpet._

Piper was going to _kill_ him. He frantically grabbed the first material that came to his hands. He started mopping up the stain with his jacket. Nico was staring at him like he was growing heads before his eyes. Jason looked at him desperately. "Come on, don't just stand there! Help me!"

Nico, now realising the reality of the situation, bounded for the kitchen to grab some paper towels. He ran back, thrusting the wet paper towels at his best friend.

They worked on the carpet for 2 hours.

Jason frantically wiping at the stain, while Nico shadow traveled to random stores to get things like carpet cleaners and soap.

It was two and a half hours when Nico finally had enough.

"Jason! Where did you get the damn carpet from anyway!"

Jason looked up at him. He sighed. "I got it from this really expensive store for Piper's birthday. She was so excited when she opened it. She just put it on the floor _today_."

Nico grumbled.

Then he disappeared.

Jason stared at the place he had been standing at just a moment before. He pulled his hair. "Damn, Nico! Don't desert me now!"

But the son of Hades was gone. Piper was going to be back in an hour. So he resumed with his work.

Half an hour later, Nico reappeared.

" _Now_ you come back? Where have you been?!"

Nico clapped his hands. A skeleton popped out of the ground.

Jason shrieked.

Nico looked like he was he was trying not to laugh and roll his eyes at the same time. "Come on Jason, you've known me since the second camp war. Get over the dead people already!"

Jason fought back a whimper. Suddenly, the skeleton reached into his ribcage to grab a freshly wrapped parcel. It (was it a he or a she?) handed the package to Nico, who ripped it open. He tossed the carpet replica to Jason.

Jason caught it with his mouth wide open. "I- um….."

Nico brushed away his thanks. "Don't mention it. Now do me a favour. Be my best man?"

Now Jason was doubly confused. Nico took this as a no. He backed away awkwardly. "Hey, don't worry about it, Jason, I-"

Jason cut him off. He looked at him straight in the eye. "I thought you were going to choose Percy for your best man." Nico looked at him sheepishly. " Hey look, I don't want to take away something that important. I know for a fact that Percy was looking forward to being asked."

When Nico frowned, Jason tried again.

"It's not that I'm refusing, I just want you to talk to Percy before I accept. This is your day, and you have the right to decide."

Nico nodded gratefully. Jason was handling the situation just like all those days ago when there was one extra Praetor at Camp Jupiter.

"Don't get me wrong, Jason. Percy has always been there for me. But I want _you_." Jason stared at him in surprise. Nico returned his gaze. " when I met you, you watched out for me. I know there have been times where ive been difficult and….. Cold. but you never told anyone my secret, and I respect you for it.

Jason had his mouth open…. Again.

He had never heard his friend be so open. He smiled. "So, appropriate time for a hug?"

Nico rolled his eyes, but sank into his friend's embrace.

"You know, I could count how many hugs you've given me on one hand," Jason joked.

Nico grumbled.

Jason laughed. "So, about Percy…."

Nico cut him off. " tell Piper I said hi. I have to go somewhere."

Jason, understanding perfectly where Nico was going, gave Nico one more smile before he shadow traveled away.


	7. Chapter 7

_Percy's POV:_

"But you _said_ I could be Best Man!"

Nico winced at the whiny tone. He tried for a joking smile. "Come on Jackson, this is the one time you're not joking about the situation."

Percy looked like he was trying to swallow a mouse. Annabeth had told him how upset he'd been when the water-centaures didn't want to meet him. This was like that time, and Percy was being completely serious.

"Look Percy. Jason did a lot for me." he rushed on before Percy could open his mouth. "I _know_ , you've been there too, but…"

Percy ducked his head. "I know why you're doing this," he mumbled. Nico stared at him in surprise.

Percy forced his head up. "You're doing it because of your sister. Because of _Bianca_."

Nico shook his head frantically. This was _not_ where he imagined this conversation going.

But Percy kept his gaze. "It's okay Nico. I don't blame you. It was my fault. I-"

Nico slapped him.

 _Hard._

"Percy, you are a complete idiot!"

The son of Hades was clenching his teeth. His fists were balled, and Percy could _feel_ the anger radiating off of him.

The grass around him withered and died, and Percy's reaction was:

"Oh gods, um, oops?"

The anger faded. Nico relaxed his muscles. He took a deep breath. He glared at the son of Poseidon.

But Percy had made up his mind. He walked off.

 _Nico's POV:_

That was…..

A disaster.

Nico never imagined a conversation going downhill so fast. He tightened his grip on the edges of his jacket and proceeded to walk back to his apartment.

He didn't have the energy to shadow travel.

Once home, he stuffed his face in his pillow and screamed in frustration. The doorbell ringed. He trudged to the door. Will Solace stood in all his glory. He smiled.

Nothing could possibly have gone wrong for _him_.

Will grinned. "That went great!" he stared coldly at him. "Im sure it did."

Will took in his surly tone. The smile slid off his face. He sat down beside him. "What did Percy do?"

Nico jumped off the sofa. He was suddenly livid.

"Jason was cool with it, he said I should talk to Percy first. So I _did_."

" _And?_ ", Will prodded him. He sighed. "He thought I didn't pick him because I still think that he's responsible for Bianca's death.

Will studied him. "Are you?", he asked curiously.

Nico threw up his hands. "No! I'm over it. I have been for almost 10 years!"

Will rushed to calm him. "I thought so. Wait here, I think i'll go make some hot chocolate."

Nico waited glumly. Will came back with two steaming mugs. He sat them down on the table with a plate full of cookies. He wrapped his hands over the mug and made himself comfortable.

He turned to his boyfriend. "So, what do you want to tell Percy?"

Nico took a sip of hot chocolate. "That I forgive him. That it wasn't his fault, and that Bianca's memory should stop haunting him." He stopped and then rushed on.

"Like she haunted _me_."

Will snuggled closer. He debated the situation. "Well, how about, you think about what you want to say to him, and then see him tomorrow. Maybe he'll come around too."

Nico considered this. "Okay", he finally said, leaning forward for a warm kiss. "Thanks for the advice."

Will grinned. "Always", he replied.

They fell asleep together, encased in each other's warmth and love.


	8. Chapter 8

_Percy's POV:_

He was already feeling guilty.

All it took was a short walk home.

He sighed. He knew his outburst was probably far-fetched, but…..

He actually respected Nico's choice, and honestly, it didn't really matter to him.

He really hated lying to himself.

He did feel bad. The look on Nico's face before he disappeared was pure disbelief. Even though they were technically only cousins, they acted like brothers.

Percy wanted to be an older brother. Especially to a kid who had lost so much.

"And then what did you do, Percy? You got his sister killed", he muttered, hanging his head.

When he got home, Annabeth didn't press for details. After he sat down, she placed some pizza in front of him.

When he made no move to eat it, Annabeth sighed. She placed a kiss on his forehead. She clasped his hand to hers.

"How about, we take a short walk to the beach, huh?"

Percy nodded gratefully, and got up to grab his coat. Annabeth followed him. As a gift at their wedding, Athena had built a spacious house for them, while Poseidon had the thought to build it close to the bay. Percy enjoyed the gift. The couple took frequent walks and was especially fond of the picnics they'd had there.

Once there, they took a short walk around the shore, before Annabeth finally spread a blanket so they could sit down. She buried her feet in the warm sand.

"So, what's wrong?"

Percy sighed. Carefully, he explained the words that were exchanged between him and Nico. Annabeth listened without interruption. When he finished, he looked at her, waiting for the brilliance to emerge.

"I don't know what I can do," she said, deciding.

Percy groaned.

She laughed. "Percy, you messed up, but it's really not that bad. Just talk to him. I'm sure he'll understand."

Percy nodded. "I know but….. I just wanted to be there for him."

Annabeth sighed in exasperation. "Percy! You are there for him. Every day! And I bet that if you asked him right now, he would agree with me."

The shadows that surrounded the beach solidified. A figure appeared. "She's right Percy. Stop beating yourself up about it."

Annabeth grinned. "Hi Nico. I think I'm going to go dip my feet in the water for a bit." she shot a look at Percy.

 _Talk to him._

He rolled his eyes and she left. Nico studied him. Percy started to feel uncomfortable.

"So…."

Percy burst in. "I know I know! I'm sorry! Jason can be best man, I really don't have any problems with it, he's a great guy, but uh… Oh!"

Percy face split into a hopeful smile. "I've been super busy with work. I think the stress was getting to me and-"

Nico snorted. He rounded on Percy. "Seriously? You're pulling the work card?" he sighed. "Percy, I'm not mad at you. I just don't understand. I thought you said you forgive yourself over the deaths. They weren't even your fault."

Percy stared at him. Finally he spoke. "Nico, every night when I go to bed, I have the nightmares. About everything down there. Everything we saw." Nico shuddered as the memories washed over him.

The The River phlegethon, Damascus's hut, the curses…..

The list went on and on. Over the years, Will had learned not to question his screaming in the middle of night, but he took to staying with him when the nightmares were at there worst. Percy sounded broken. He motioned to the daughter of Athena, who was oblivious to the unsuspected turn of conversation. "Annabeth doesn't like to talk about it, but she has them too. I think they're worst than mine. And all I hear…" he trailed off.

But Nico was hungry for more. Even though the feelings for his childhood crush disappeared, he couldn't stop the feeling of always wanting to keep him safe. He prodded Percy to talk.

"All I hear is the murmurings", he whispered. "The….. horrible voices that came from the water", Percy looked stricken. "They told me all my faults, about everyone I've killed!"

With a jolt, Nico realized Percy was going to go into a panic attack. Gods….. He'd had so many. Will had come to his rescue, rubbing soothing circles on his back and murmuring sweet nothings until he'd calmed down.

So he did just that.

He didn't know how long they stood there.

Just that Percy's embrace was warm. And that he smelled of the sea.

 _Focus, Nico!_ He scolded himself.

Percy was shivering. Nico couldn't bare to see the heroic son of Poseidon like this. Broken. Tired.

 _Scared._

He wrapped his arms around him. He rubbed his back soothingly. Annabeth saw him and ran forward.

"What happened?" She asked, worriedly. Nico was starting to struggle with Percy's weight. He gave a grunt. "Help me."

They lowered him onto the sand. Annabeth felt his forehead. She recoiled her hand. "He's freezing!"

She wrapped her jacket securely around him. She looked up at Nico. "what happened?"

He sighed. "He's still in denial. He hasn't forgiven himself for those deaths." He ran his hand through his hair. "I should've known." He kicked the sand. Annabeth stared at him surprise.

Nico looked at her in despair. "He never has Annabeth. You _know_ him."

They stared at Percy's still form sadly. Annabeth turned to him. Her face was kind. "Nico, please, this wasn't your fault. Percy's been stressed out for a while. Tartarus definitely wasn't kind for any of us, but I think having any form of water whispering about his regrets…. It hurt him Nico", she whispered, tears snaking down her cheeks.

Nico felt her arms around him.

And for once, he didn't stiffen at the touch.

They didn't know that Percy had woken up until they felt a third pair of arms join their hug.

"Make Jason best man." Nico opened his mouth to protest. Percy beat him to it. "Please, Nico. He deserves it."

The trio broke the hug. Nico smiled at him. "Come on Percy. For all that you've done for me, you deserve it too. Which is why I wanted to ask you to be my man of honor."

Percy stared at him with surprise. Annabeth reached forward and teasingly shut his mouth. Nico laughed at his expression. Then he turned serious. "But no fooling around, Jackson. Piper's on the warpath with this thing." Percy grinned. "Don't worry, Nico. I'll be there for you.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Well yeah, but you have to attend the dress fittings and all the rehearsals." Percy cursed. He knew there was going to be a catch.

Annabeth and Nico burst out laughing. They joined in for another hug.

And that's how it was. The three powerful children of the gods, friends for ever.

If being through hell and back was what created this moment, then so be it.

The hug was warm.


	9. Chapter 9

_Piper's POV_

She was officially going to have a migraine for the rest of her life.

 _Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_

Since when was planning a wedding so difficult? She was a daughter of Aphrodite! This should come naturally to her.

If the participants actually _participated_.

"Please, guys! Just come to the dress fittings! I promise on the River Styx that we'll get it done in less than five hours."

Will whipped his head to stare at her.

" _Just_ five hours."

"Please!"

"No! Nico glared at her. "We have six months until the wedding! Six months!"

Piper sighed impatiently. She was really trying not to tear out the feathers in her hair.

Hmmmmm…..

Desperate times count for desperate measures.

"Hey Will, Nico. Wouldn't it be a great idea to try on some tuxedos for the wedding?" she put on a surgery smile.

The boys turned to her as if they were in a trance.

Which they were.

"We would love too, Will said. They both stood up abruptly. she smiled at them, and they marched as one to the camp trucks. Nico stopped and his eyes suddenly became clear. He looked uneasily at the vehicle. "Look Piper, can I meet you guys there with shadow travel?"

Piper glared at him. "Absolutely not. You're coming with us!" Nico rolled his eyes, suddenly himself. "Fine", he grumbled. I'll take you with me.

And with that, he gripped onto their waiting hands and proceeded to travel through darkness.

 _Nico's POV:_

He landed with easy grace behind a dumpster right behind the store. Piper and Will stumbled, panting.

Piper groaned. "Of all places Nico! A dumpster!"

Nico shrugged. "Would you rather I risked landing inside the store? Someone would see us for sure!

Will broke the arguing. "Come on guys, let's just get this over with." Piper smiled and followed him to the entrance to the store. "I asked the others to meet us there. The'll be waiting for us."

Once there, they found the assembled party laughing together. Percy, Jason, Cecil, Lacy, Rachel, Annabeth, Hazel, Katie, Juniper, Thalia, Kayla, Lu Ellen, Calypso, Leo, and Reyna were waiting for them.

The group's interest turned to Piper. She grinned. "Okay guys, we're going to take care of everybody one at a time, but our main situation is getting these two fitted. She gestured to Will and Nico. The surrounding girls nodded.

Piper put on a more serious look. She placed her hands around her hips. "Let's split up." she motioned to half of the girls. " you guys take Will!"

She smiled sweetly at Nico.

"The rest of us can take Death Boy!"


	10. Chapter 10

_Will's POV:_

Annabeth, Reyna, Rachel, and Lou Ellen waved him through the change rooms. He could hear them loudly discussing colors and and fabrics. The tuxedos came one by one through the flimsy curtain.

Black.

Grey.

White.

He lost count of how many he threw over his head. He came out, showing off each one, and every time he was sent back. They were either too flashy, too plain, or ' _just not him'_.

What the heck did that even mean? They all looked the same to him. As he was trying on a very sparkly gold one, his thoughts turned to Nico. How many had he tried on so far? Damn, he could just imagine his hot boyfriend wearing a tuxedo.

He must have looked pretty dreamy when he walked out of the change room, because Annabeth frowned at him when he came out.

"Will, what's wrong? You look like you're about to walk into the wall."

Reyna smirked as she studied him. "He's thinking of Nico", she announced with an evil grin.

Lou Ellen giggled when Will turned as red as the Camp's strawberries. He turned to Annabeth.

"Can we just get this over with? I'm going to start tearing out my hair if I have to try on another tuxedo."

The daughter of Athena looked him over critically. "No, Piper wouldn't like this one at all. Gods, Will, you look like a gold statue wearing that thing."

"What's wrong with gold statues?" Rachel protested.

Will sighed and returned to the change room to take off the tuxedo while the girls continued to argue. This was going to take forever.

 _Nico's POV:_

It was a fight to get him into the first suit. The material was itchy, and he had to resist the urge to scream for a back scratcher. The tuxedo was inky black, with a tombstone-colored tie. It made him look as pale as milk, and Piper wrinkled her nose when she saw it.

"No. That's terrible. Try another one."

He didn't have much of a choice at this point, so he did what she asked. He wrestled the tuxedos over his body one after the other.

And every fucking time, Piper sent him back with another one, dissatisfied.

Just as he was thinking that they were practically cleaning out the whole store, he put on a silky black one. Heck, he wasn't even paying attention to what he was putting on now. He exited the change room, ready to enter it again with another one.

But just as he was about to leave, Piper yelled.

"Wait! Turn around!"

He did as she asked, heart pounding. She looked him up and down critically, so thoroughly it made Nico feel self-conscious.

She smiled. "This one! You look amazing!"

She made him turn around so he could show off all the angles. It made him feel pretty stupid, but the girls whistled and Hazel clapped her hands. They were folding the suit into a bag to buy, and Nico gave a sigh of relief.

They were done at last!

But Piper stopped him. "Hey, where do you think you're going? We're not done here."

"What!"

She pulled him back to the changing rooms. "Nico, we still have to find a tie for you, and we don't know if Will's done yet. Plus, we have to find matching dresses and tuxedos for everyone else."

Nico groaned out loud. He threw up his hands. "That'll take forever!"

Piper smiled. "Probably." Seeing his look of despair, she caved.

"Fine. We'll order the rest of the stuff online. But we're still looking for your tie, and i'm not leaving this store until Will has a suit too."

In the end, they ended up picking a dark purple tie for Nico. Piper said it brought out the color in his eyes, which he didn't understand. But it matched with the silky black tuxedo, and at least it wasn't choking him.

He checked himself out in the mirror. To be honest, he didn't look half-bad. The suit actually fit him pretty well, and it was comfortable, unlike the previous ones he had tried on, with their itchy collars and suffocating ties.

But he knew things were too good to be true. Piper swooped down on him, eyeing his hair.

 _Uh oh._

"Nico…"

The look on her face scared him. He knew she wasn't going to tell him anything good. He braced himself, and sure enough, he felt the tug of charmspeak.

"Can we cut your hair?" her voice was sweet enough, but he wasn't going to fall for it this time.

" _No!_ " he grabbed his soft black curls protectectivly. Piper's face was full of disappointment. The charmspeak washed away.

"Okay. can we at least tie it up?"

Nico let go of his hair. "What do you mean?"

She reached for a stray navy blue ribbon she had in her pocket. She tied a clump of his curls together. Staring in the mirror, he realized she had made him a ponytail. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the mirror. He looked…..

 _Good._

"We can leave it the way it is, if you want", Piper promised. He shook his head.

"Nah, this is fine. Actually, I kinda like it better."

Piper clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Perfect! Let's go see if Will's done yet."

 _Will's POV:_

It had taken them forever, but they finally found him something. He ended up wearing a simple but elegant white tuxedo, with a blue tie that matched his eyes.

He knew he probably didn't look half as good as his boyfriend, but hey, he was trying.

Speaking of which, Annabeth said they should probably go looking for the others, since the store was going to close soon. Damn, he didn't think it would take _this_ long.

He heard Piper's voice ahead. Hazel and Nico's soon joined it. They walked in the direction of their voices. He only got to see a glimpse of Nico before Piper shrieked.

"What are you doing! Cover his eyes!" Immediately, Will could feel Annabeth's firm hands over his eyes, and judging by Nico's muffled protest, his eyes had been covered as well.

"Why aren't we allowed to look?" he asked impatiently.

"Because I want it to be a surprise. You'll see each other in your suits just before the wedding ceremony."

Nico groaned in annoyance. Will did the same. The girls ushered them into separate change rooms so they could take off the tuxedos. Once they both emerged, they found Piper grinning.

"I think that went pretty well! All we have to do now is find matching dresses and tuxedos for everyone else!"

Will was relieved. All he wanted to do was get back home and take a well-deserved nap.

Oh, and cuddle with Nico as well, of course.


	11. Chapter 11

_Nico's POV_

They were at Naomi's house. She lived in a cute little place, filled with warmth and flowers. It had cosy curtains and rugs in every room. Nico felt safe here, not because of its appearance, but because Naomi was so welcoming in the first place.

She hugged both of them when they rang her bell. She looked at Nico fondly. She had started crying when they told her they were engaged.

"It's all i've ever wanted for you two", she said afterwards.

She lead them to kitchen and started offering them cookies, chewy and warm. Nico took a bite and inhaled the next three. They were almost as good as Sally's.

Will and Nico went to see her often, usually just to talk and enjoy some time together. They were doing this now when a black crow flew into the open window. It landed on the bright table with a squawk and cocked it's head at Nico with unusually shiny eyes.

All these years, and he still shuddered when he saw his father's bird.

But instead of telling him he had an audience with Lord Hades, he pointed his beak downwards, in the direction of something tied to his foot. Keeping a wary eye on the bird's razor sharp beak, he untied it.

Thankfully, the crow hopped off the table and flew out the way it came. Nico opened the silky dark paper, so black he thought it might stain his fingers. He recognized his dad's neat script.

It was an invitation. _To Naomi and Will Solace,_ it read on the front. Knowing this was bad news, Nico groaned and handed it to his fiancé.

Will opened it. "Invitations to Hades' palace for dinner?" He said incredulously. Nico turned his face away.

Naomi took the envelope and read it, laughing when she saw the expression on Nico's face. "It won't be that bad! I've never actually met Lord Hades. What's he like?" She asked thoughtfully.

Nico groaned again. Will turned to his mother. "He's a lot like Nico, actually. Doom and gloom whenever you look at him, but really all rainbows and glitter inside."

" _I am not glittery inside!"_ Nico yelled.

Will and Naomi laughed. Nico grinned despite himself. But they all shut up when they realized they had no idea what to do with the invitation.

"So….. What do we do with it?" Will asked. The envelope in question was lying innocently on the kitchen table. It was easily the darkest thing in the room.

"We decline, what else?" Nico grumbled.

Naomi put her arms around him. "We're not that mean, Nico. And I want to meet Hades."

Nico threw up his hands. "What for!?"

Naomi sighed. Will grinned, used to his fiancé's moods. "Nico, I don't think we _can_ decline. He's a _god._ "

"I know" Nico replied in a surly voice. He flipped the envelope over. "The date says its 6:30, two days from now."

Naomi clapped her hands. "Perfect! That gives me just enough time to find something to wear."

Will smiled, but Nico was walking across the room, holding the black envelope gingerly by one corner.

He trashed it, grimacing as he did so.


	12. Chapter 12

Will's POV

The huge black door loomed in front of them. Heck, it could even be called beautiful, with its silver etchings and black designs. But he couldn't stomach the fact that souls of agony were writhing across it.

Nico didn't even glance at it when he lead them into the room behind it. Will could tell he wasn't very happy with his father's decision to have dinner with his future husband and mother in law. He hoped the dinner would make up for that.

Hades was waiting for them, dressed in a black suit with a white tie. More souls were groaning on his lapel.

Persephone was waiting on his arm. She wasn't smiling, and the sight of her made Nico's jaw clench.

Hades freed his queen from his arm. Taking Naomi's hand, he bowed and kissed it. Standing up again, he smiled at her. There was a rosy blush spreading across her face. Persephone was scowling even more while she witnessed this.

Hades spread his arms. "Welcome to my palace. Dinner is this way, if you'd be kind enough to follow me."

He held Persephone's hand but let Naomi cling to his arm in the exact same position she'd been five minutes ago. Persephone's face held a look of disbelief, which soon gave way to anger. But she kept her mouth shut.

Will followed, Nico trailing behind unwillingly.

The dining room was more fancy than he could have imagined. Dark purple silk tablecloths lined the tables. Food of every kind imaginable was spread out across it. The chairs were made of finely crafted ebony, greek symbols traced into them. Hades smiled.

"Please help yourself."

They sat down. Will stared at the food nervously. As if sensing his distress, Hades spoke up. "All of it can be eaten. It won't keep you here, I promise."

Naomi smiled as one of the shaded spirits started to serve her. She muttered a thank you, but the spirit just vanished without a word. They started to eat.

He had to admit, the food was great. Everything tasted amazing, the food perfectly made. In a matter of minutes, another spirit was refilling his plate, and Will smiled gratefully. His mother seemed to be enjoying herself too. Nico pushed around some chicken on his plate, not touching it.

Finally, the meal ended. Will was very satisfied and judging from his Naomi's contented look, so was she. Hades sipped from his glass of wine and smiled at his guests.

"That was lovely." he waved his hand at the spirit and it vanished at once. "I hope you enjoyed yourself?"

Naomi smiled angelically. "Of course."

"Wonderful." He put down his glass. "I must say, I approve of my son's choice."

Persephone glared at Naomi. Nico leapt from his chair. "Father!"

Hades waved away his son's protest. "Now, son. I'm trying to talk to your new mother in law and future husband. Is it too much to ask that I merely get to speak to them properly for an hour?"

Nico sat down, scowling. He crossed his arms.

Hades turned back to Will. "Son of Apollo, we meet again. You've grown into quite a man." Will didn't know what to say about that. Him, handsome? So he just shrugged.

"Now about your special day. Nico, i'm happy to help in anyway I can." Hades coughed, looking uncomfortable. "And, if you'd let me, walk you down the aisle?"

Nico stared at him. Then he regained his voice. "Um, we haven't decided who's going to walk down the aisle."

Hades laughed nervously. "Of course. I-uh, just thought I should offer."

"I'll think about it." Nico was staring at his plate, not looking at his father. Will and Naomi started to fidget, feeling extremely intrusive.

Hades cleared his throat awkwardly. "How about I take you for a tour of the palace? I'd be happy to." Everybody stood up, glad for the change of topic.

As Naomi, Will and Nico started to walk ahead, Persephone grabbed Hades hand and laced it with her own. Surprised, Hades stared at her.

"You should."

"Should what?"

Persephone locked eyes with her husband. "Walk him down the aisle. He needs it."

Without anymore elaboration, Persephone rejoined the others. Hades shook his head out of his daze.

She was right.


	13. Chapter 13

_Nico's POV:_

His hospital shift had ended and hour ago. He was waiting for Will, who was out buying groceries.

 _Will._

It had been five months since Will had accidentally proposed at their camp reunion. The girls still worked on the details, but since they didn't really need Nico and Will to help them, it had been a quiet couple of months.

His thoughts drifted off to his fiance. How relaxed he always was, how calmly he took everything. Nico didn't realize that having a boyfriend would enlarge his perspective of the world so much. Sharing his life, being so open with someone who _cared_ , made the world seem a little brighter every day.

Nico snorted. Being in a relationship also made you sappy.

Pretty tanned face framed with blond curls. A soft face made even more alluring with those blue eyes of his, like pools of spring water. Full, soft pink lips that tasted faintly of strawberries. And if you leaned in for a kiss just right, you could see a sprinkle of freckles right across his nose.

Nico sighed.

Speaking of the devil, Will opened the front door just then, hands full of bags bulging with groceries. Nico jumped up to help him and grabbed about half of the bags. They made the trek to the kitchen and placed the bags on the counter.

Will brushed a curl out of his face and smiled. "Thanks."

"Your welcome. Did you bring anything sweet or is it all vegetables?" Nico demanded, pawing through the contents of the nearest bag.

"Why do you think that's all I buy from the store?"

Nico raised his eyebrows and held up a container of fresh garden salad.

"That's for me!" Will protested.

Nico rolled his eyes. suddenly , Will was pinning him against the fridge, kissing him. They enjoyed this for several minutes until Will's phone rang, interrupting them. Nico groaned and Will laughed, untangling himself from his fiance and reaching for his phone.

It was Piper. Nico mimed frantically for Will to hang up, but Will ignored him. "Hey Piper! What's up?"

Nico groaned again and threw up his hands, with a _what-do-you-think?_ expression clear on his face. Will heard him leave the kitchen and turn on the tv in their living room. He turned his attention back to Piper.

"Not much. I know it's been awhile since we started planning, but i've started taking care of small things we need for the wedding on my own." Piper explained. "You know, reservation, catering, outfits, setup."

Will was touched at the amount of effort the daughter of Aphrodite was putting into their wedding. "Thank you. It means a lot to us."

"Anytime!" Piper's chirpy voice replied. "I wanted to give you guys time to adjust to being engaged. But I kinda need your help now."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Invitations. Do you think you could hand them out to everybody?"

"No problem."

"Great! Come over whenever you have time to pick them up."

Will hung up with a yes. He slipped his phone into his pocket and walked into the living room. Nico was watching tv and, looking very adorable curled up on the couch. He glanced up when his fiance walked in.

"Niiii-co….." Will sang in a syrupy voice.

"What?" Nico grumbled, eyes still on the tv.

"Piper needs us to send invitations to everyone for the wedding. Can we split them?"

Nico pouted. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Fine." Nico turned the tv off. "But i'm using shadow travel."

"Will sighed. "As long as you eat properly when you get back, kay?"

Nico nodded. "I'll go get them." Before Will could protest, Nico disappeared.

 _Piper's POV:_

She was stacking the envelopes neatly, making sure for the tenth time that there was one for everyone. A cool voice interrupted her.

"Hey Piper."

She whipped around and grinned when she saw the son of Hades. "Hi Nico! It's good to see you!"

He gestured to the envelopes. "I came for the invitations." He hesitated and stared at his shoes. "And to talk to you about something as well."

Piper's eyes widened in surprise. "Sure, what?"

Nico stopped staring at the floor and looked her straight in the eye. "I need help choosing a wedding ring for Will."

Piper stared at him silently.

Nico took this as a bad sign and started rambling, trying to explain. "I know it's pretty late to pick one, I tried to look on my own, but I couldn't find anything good enough, something that he would like-"

"Nico." Piper said soothingly. "It's definitely not too late to buy a wedding ring. I can help. We'll find the perfect one together."

Nico nodded, but didn't look at her.

Piper sighed. "And Nico?"

He stared at her.

"Will's going to love the wedding ring because _you_ picked it. That's the whole point. It doesn't matter what it looks like, he's still going to cherish it and wear it because he loves you."

Nico smiled softly. She smiled back. "Now, do you want to deliver the invites first, or go looking for a ring?"

"Can we go look? The invitations can wait."

She nodded. They took Piper's car because Nico wanted to preserve his energy for later. The drive wasn't very long and they reached the wedding boutique in ten minutes. Nico followed the daughter of Aphrodite inside.

Piper said a quick hello to the lady at the counter. She smiled at them. "Piper dear, what do you need today?"

Piper nudged Nico forward. "Actually, my friend here is looking for a wedding ring for his fiance."

"Of course. The ring section is over there." She gave Nico a sideways smile. "I hope you find the perfect one."

Piper thanked her and steered Nico to where the lady directed them. Nico couldn't help staring. There were rows and rows filled with rings. Some of them were silver, some gold. Some of them had small gemstones, while others just had engraved designs carefully etched into the precious metals.

"A lot to choose from, huh?" Nico nodded dimly at her words. "Hey." Piper forced him to look at her. "Don't worry about it too much. Just look around and find something that catches your eye."

He nodded again and stared at the million rings glimmering in front of him. A couple of them even he had to admit were beautiful, and he had one of the store assistants take them out so he could take a closer look.

But none of them were good enough. They were beautiful, but they weren't _Will_. What Nico wanted most of all was to find a ring that represented his fiance. Something beautiful but elegant, determined, strong, but cheerful and happy at the same time.

Yeah, his quest was pretty much hopeless.

But Piper wouldn't give up. She insisted he looked for at least five more minutes before they gave up. He stared at the rings and was about to just leave anyway when he saw it.

The perfect ring.

He pointed at it wildly. "That one! I want to see it."

When it was removed from the display case, Nico took it carefully, like it was glass. He looked at it with a small smile and gave it to Piper, who gasped and stared at it it.

"This one." Nico said, making up his mind. "I want this one."

The cashier lady smiled. "Good choice. Would you like it in a box?"

Nico nodded and the lady placed the ring snugly in a white box with a gold ribbon. Piper waved goodbye to her while Nico placed the small box into his pocket carefully. "I'll give it to him at the wedding ceremony."

"Good idea. It'll be a surprise!"

Nico smiled again. "Thank you. I appreciate it." Piper waved away his thanks and handed him the stack of invitations she brought with her.

Nico took them and disappeared in a cloud of shadows. He had been gone long enough already, Will was probably waiting for him.


	14. Chapter 14

_Will's POV:_

Nico had been gone for half an hour. Will had put away the groceries he bought and ate lunch while he waited for his fiance.

He wondered what was taking him so long. Eventually, he ditched the rest of his greens. He wasn't really hungry anyway. While he put them away in the fridge, a cold breeze rustled from the living room, signaling Nico's return.

"That took awhile."

Nico shrugged. "Piper misplaced the invitations." he waved a stack of envelopes in the air. "We found them though."

Will smiled. "Great. We'll split them."

They divided the stack between them.

Will grinned. He pecked his fiance on the lips. "This'll take awhile. See you home at eight? You'll probably finish before me, so eat something healthy when you get back, okay?"

"Why?" Nico grumbled.

" _You're a doctor._ You _know_ can't eat sugar all the time!" Will groaned.

"Watch me", Nico glowered. He smiled softly when Will kissed him again though.

 _Nico's POV:_

After Will left, Nico sulked for half an hour before finally grabbing the invitations and shadow traveling. He had to go to Percy's first.

Annabeth greeted him warmly when he reached their house. Percy was busily typing on a small laptop in the living room. He smiled when he saw the son of Hades.

"Hey Neeks!"

Nico groaned but ignored the childhood nickname. "Hey Perce. What're you up to?"

"Not much. I'm typing up something for for work."

"Which he hasn't been paying attention to for the last hour", Annabeth chided.

It was Percy's chance to groan. "It's not my fault it's so boring."

Nico grinned. "Piper finally finished the invitations. She asked me to hand them out." He gave one to Percy.

Percy opened it and read out loud: " To Mr and Mrs Jackson. We invite you to celebrate the joyous marriage of Will Solace and Nico di Angelo at the Trinity Hall."

He laughed and clapped Nico on the shoulders. "I'm proud of you! You're getting married!"

Nico smiled softly. "I know." he wanted to stay longer, but the bulging stack of envelopes in his pocket made him leave.

"I'm sorry. I have to get the rest of these invitations to everybody". He vanished.

 _Will's POV:_

He had to go to Kayla's next. He'd already visited Austin, Cecil, Katie, Miranda, Rachel and Lou Ellen. He didn't mind spending his saturday like this. It was a good excuse to visit his old friends.

Pulling up against the curb, he parked. He walked up the driveway and smiled as he rang the doorbell to his half-sister's house. She grinned and hugged him when she saw him.

"Come in, Will! We finally get to catch up!"

He laughed as she pushed him in eagerly. She led him into the kitchen, where he sat on a chair pulled up to a scuffed and worn-looking table.

"How have you been?" Will asked as she handed him some soda from the fridge.

She shrugged. "Good, I guess. College is harder than I thought but i'm getting the athletic sponsorship I always wanted."

"That's great!"

"I know, but what about you? You're getting married!"

He laughed again. "Crazy, right? But somehow, deep down, I know it's what I want. To be with Nico."

She smiled at him fondly. "I know, Will, and i'm really happy for you."

The two siblings talked some more before Will gave her an invitation and left, promising to see her again.

 _Nico's POV:_

Man. He'd visited Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Calypso, Frank and Hazel. He was still nowhere close to done. He was just saying goodbye to Reyna when he started to feel tired.

It was getting easier and easier to shadow travel but he still got exhausted from time to time. He had to go to Travis and Conner's place next.

 _This should be fun._

He appeared in front of the apartment building they were sharing. He took the elevator, and while he was waiting for it to reach the correct floor, he rummaged in his pockets for the baggie of ambrosia he always kept with him.

Will was always warning him to take a piece with him everywhere just in case. He was actually relieved that he had listened.

He popped a small square into his mouth and sighed as his mother's specialty flooded his mouth. And with that small taste of home, he instantly returned back to 1935. He was five again, and sitting in their cozy kitchen, slurping at his pasta while his mother laughed and gently scolded him for getting sauce all over his face. Bianca was grinning as well as she ate her dinner beside him.

His mother brushed a warm hand against his forehead.

The ding of the elevator brought him back to the present. He shook himself out of his daze and put his baggie of ambrosia back in his jacket pocket. He walked down the hall and turned right, knocking on the Stoll's door.

Conner was sitting on the living room floor, homework spread all around him. He glanced up as Nico walked in and grinned. He got up and pulled Nico into a _very_ tight hug.

"Let go!" he sputtered.

Conner just smiled wider.

Travis entered from their small kitchen. "Let him go, Conner, he's turning blue."

Conner released the struggling son of Hades. "What can we do for you, Di Angelo?"

When Nico finally got his breath back, he said, "I came to give you these." he handed them both envelopes.

Travis read his. He stared at Nico solemnly. It was starting to creep him out, so he snapped. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Travis clapped him on the shoulders. "So you're doing it huh? Getting married."

"Yeah, why?"

Conner shook his head. "There's no going back after this, Nico. Once you tie the knot, you forsake bachelorism forever."

Nico looked back and forth from the two brothers, trying to figure out if they were joking. When they stayed serious, he replied, "what the hell?"

Travis grinned and laughed. "You fell for that, didn't you? But seriously, we should throw a bachelor's party for you and Will. Just the guys. Have some fun!"

Nico cocked his head. "You're crazy."

Conner smiled as he nudged his brother. "Yeah, this guy would do anything for a party."

Nico shrugged. "Whatever. If you're serious about this, text Will the details, we'll figure it out."

"Oh no, Di Angelo. We're doing this for _you._ It'll be great!"

Nico smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

He swirled into shadows.

 _Will's POV:_

Four hours and a million invitations later,Will entered his apartment. He didn't mind the tiredness, because the warm feeling from seeing almost all of his friends and family made up for it.

Utterly exhausted, he made of beeline for their bedroom, only to find a passed out son of Hades sprawled on top of the sheets.

He sighed, partly from annoyance and partly because his fiance looked so cute on the bed. Will brushed a stray black curl off of Nico's face. His fiance stirred but move. He blinked sleepily.

"W-will?" His name stuttered adorably in Nico's mouth until a yawn interrupted it.

Will smiled at him fondly. "Yeah, it's me."

Will took off his jacket and slipped into a light t-shirt. Then he slipped under the sheets next to Nico. He cuddled next to his fiance, relishing his warmth after the brisk wind outside.

Nico snuggled against him, smiling slightly. They cuddled for a long time before finally falling asleep, tired but happy.


End file.
